Draft:Young Leaders' Empowerment Action- YLEA

Young Leaders Empowerment Action (YLEA) is a Non-profit organisation founded in Cameroon, specifically in Buea, in January 2021. It was founded by long time friends and collaborators; Ebai Derrick, Sone Christopher and Taku Gilbert. It's mission is to empower young people by providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to become independent and self-reliant in the future. YLEA has functional offices in Buea, Kumba, and Ohio.

The organisation is led by Ebai Derrick.

History

YLEA was founded in response to the need to address the challenges facing youths of Cameroon, particularly in the areas of education, employment, and entrepreneurship. It was founded to serve as a way of restoring the social positions of youth affected by Natural and/or Socio-economic crisis. The organization was established with a focus on providing young people with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in life. It seeks to empower them to become self-reliant and independent, and to make a positive impact in their communities.

Between 2018 and 2021, Ebai Derrick and a group of friends took action to address the socio-political crisis in Cameroon by creating networks of elites and beneficiaries. They reached out to village elites to solicit donations in order to provide assistance to students who had dropped out of school due to the effects of the Anglophone crisis. In total, they were able to raise $68,321, which was redistributed to 112 students. In 2021, they made the decision to operate as a registered NGO in order to expand their abilities beyond the limitations of their previous status.

Young Leaders' Empowerment action was formally created from the resolutions of their end of year general meeting of 2020.

Mission

The mission of YLEA is to empower the youths affected by Natural and/or Socio-economic crisis to become independent and self-reliant by providing them with vocational training, seminars, mentorship, counseling, and advocacy. The organization believes that by empowering young people, it can create a more just and equitable society in which everyone can thrive.

Programs

YLEA offers a range of programs to empower young people. These include:

1. Vocational training: YLEA provides vocational training in a variety of fields, including agriculture, construction, and information technology. The training equips young people with the skills they need to succeed in these industries and to create their own businesses.
2. The YLEA Book Project: Ths is a project run by YLEA which aims at bringing academic books to unopportune children in targeted zones. The books are designed by some staff of YLEA in collaboration with EyaLingo. The project was initiated in August 2023 and they succesfully distributed 723 books alongside writting materials. They plan distributing up to 5000 books by the end of 2028.
3. Seminars: YLEA organizes seminars on a range of topics, including entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal development. The seminars provide young people with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life.
4. Mentorship: YLEA provides mentorship to young people to help them navigate the challenges they face in life. The organization matches young people with mentors who can provide them with guidance and support.
5. Counseling: YLEA offers counseling services to young people who need support with their mental health and well-being. The organization provides a safe space for young people to talk about their problems and to receive support.
6. Advocacy: YLEA advocates for the rights of young people and works to create a more just and equitable society in which everyone can thrive. The organization engages in advocacy campaigns on issues such as education, employment, and entrepreneurship. Their sound advocacies have also been seen in the fields of Gender equality, Youth Mental Health, HIV/AIDS stigmatization, and more.

Impact

Since its establishment, YLEA has made a significant impact in the lives of young people in Cameroon. The organization has empowered hundreds of young people through its vocational training programs, seminars, mentorship, counseling, and advocacy. YLEA has helped young people to become independent and self-reliant, and to create their own businesses.

The organization has also created a network of young leaders who are committed to making a positive impact in their communities while they continue seeking ways of meeting their mission of Empowering the Youths.

It is estimated that more than 2100 lives have been impacted directly and/or indirectly. YLEA has the following figures relating to their direct impacts on the people through their development projects. More than 60% of their core activities have been carried in the North West Region and South West Regions of Cameroon with 81% of beneficiaries being Cameroonians, 7% of which were Nigerians, 6% of Central African Republic Nationalities and 6% from other Nationalities.

No	Program	Number of participants in 2021	Number of participants in 2022	Number of participants in 2023
1	Vocational training: Soap Making	78	85	38
2	Vocational Training: Market Gardening	15	40	0
3	Vocational Training: Paultry Farming	20	38	15 (17 ongoing)
4	Counseling	18	42	12
5	Mentorship	8	13	17
6	Youth Seminars	146	318	76

Numbers after 2022 might be inaccurate as activities continue.

Financing

YLEA is financed by donations of different types and BOD contributions

References

www.youngleadersempowermentaction.org YLEA official website

https://beta.candid.org/profile/14652725 Candid

The peoples' Journal- Buea